US correspondent for Fairfax Media

It was a case that attracted global attention: two young football stars from small-town Ohio accused of rape; a young woman who said she could not remember the assault because she was intoxicated and learnt of it through social media in the days that followed.

After a trial that divided the football-loving community of Steubenville, the two teenagers have been found guilty and sentenced to juvenile detention. Ma'lik Richmond, 16, was jailed for a year. His high school teammate Trent Mays, 17, received two years - the extra year because he was also convicted of publishing nude images of his helplessly intoxicated victim via his phone.

The assaults took place in August last year, as high school students in the river town celebrated the last night before the new school year - and the new football season - began.

Trent Mays: found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl. Photo: Reuters

The court heard that the two boys dragged their victim from party to party that night and that the following morning she woke in a strange house with no memory of what had gone on. By then, many others in town were discussing the events due to a series of text messages, tweets, pictures and videos that had bounced around among the high school students throughout the night.

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In one image, the victim hangs limp between two young men, who are apparently carrying her from one party to the next.

The case became infamous for the use of social media - not only as the crime was committed but by activists, including hacking group Anonymous, to gather evidence when it appeared an investigation into the assault had stalled. That group's involvement was criticised by the prosecution, which said it had a chilling affect on some witnesses' willingness to testify.

It was also alleged by some that the boys were being protected because they were on the high school football team, the Big Red, which is one of the town's most significant institutions.

In court on Sunday, the victim's mother spoke on her daughter's behalf. Addressing the boys, she said: ''It did not matter what school you went to, what city you lived in, or what sport you've played … Human compassion is not taught by a teacher, a coach or a parent. It is a God-given gift instilled in all of us. You displayed not only a lack of this compassion but a lack of any moral code.

''Your decisions that night affected countless lives including those most dear to you … You were your own accuser through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal conduct on.

''This does not define who my daughter is. She will persevere, grow and move on.''

Both boys broke down as the judge found them ''delinquent'' of the charges and explained that this was equivalent to a guilty verdict in an adult court. Both sought to apologise to the victim and the court, struggling to speak as they did so.

''I would truly like to apologise,'' Mays said. ''No pictures should have been sent around, let alone have been taken.''

Richmond broke down as he made his statement. ''I would like to say I had no intentions to do anything like that,'' he said.

The victim's lawyer said the boys had shown no remorse earlier.

Even with the guilty verdicts secured, Ohio Attorney-General Mike DeWine will not let the case rest. He announced he would convene a grand jury to further investigate and establish whether more charges should be laid.

He said 16 people, many of them minors, had refused to speak to investigators and that he would consider the possibility that crimes including failure to report a felony and failure to report child abuse had been committed.

''This community desperately needs to have this behind them but this community also desperately needs to know justice was done and that no stone was left unturned,'' he said.

Perhaps referring to a video showing a group of schoolboys who had been at some of the parties joking about the assault later in the evening, he said some people appeared to have little sense of the seriousness of the behaviour.

''Among some people, there seems to be an unbelievable casualness about rape and about sex,'' he said. ''It is a cavalier attitude - a belief that somehow there isn't anything wrong with any of this.

''Rape is not a recreational activity. We, as a society, have an obligation do more to educate our young people about rape. They need to know it is a horrible crime of violence.''